By IANS
New Delhi : They might not fit in the clichéd beauty standards set for women but they are brimming with confidence. Breast cancer survivors have mastered the art of living beyond the body and want doctors and people at large to be compassionate to those battling the deadly disease.
At a symposium organised in the capital Monday by voluntary organisation CanSupport, gynaecologist Y. Vidya Devi shared her survival story: “Across the globe women stand synonymous to curves, especially fuller breasts are a symbol of beauty”.
“It was devastating when I was diagnosed with cancer in my left breast on March 14 last year. And the first thought came – why me?”
“I became a patient from a doctor overnight. After taking a second opinion I underwent a surgery wherein my breast was removed. Initially it was very difficult but later I realised that life is beyond body and looks. We need a body to be loved and to love people around, that’s what human beings starve for, isn’t it?” questioned the 56-year-old, sporting a short salt and pepper hairstyle.
“Today, I want to live my life to full and the credit of my confidence and spirit goes to my doctor and family members’ support. Hence, I want to make people aware about how important it is to be compassionate towards those fighting the disease,” she said.
Like Devi, Vandana Gupta was another survivor whose million-dollar smile conceals all the pain she had to undergo. “In 2004 my daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumour and this (breast cancer) shock came to me, two years after that.”
“I had lost the will to live and chemotherapy engraved it all the more. It was hellish. But my husband’s and my doctor’s support revitalised the spirit of life in me. Though there is a risk of reoccurrence of cancer in my body, I want to live!”
Gupta was among three other survivors who recounted their battle against cancer. They also pointed that apart from creating awareness about the disease, it is important for everyone to understand how important it is to be compassionate to those suffering with the disease that can occur to anyone.
Expressing the same thought Vineet Gupta, breast cancer specialist with Apollo Hyderabad, said: “It is a narrow approach to keep all the concentration on the tumour because the rest of you is in pain too. And who will cater to that?”
“The love, empathy and support one gets from the doctor and people around him, helps the patient get control over himself and recover faster. Indian hospitals are yet to adapt that,” he said.
According to the data provided by the European Society for Medical Oncology India has 79,000 new breast cancer cases every year. And there is a new case in the country every six and a half minutes.
India accounts for six percent of breast cancer deaths in the world.